A HEAT-INSULATING PLANAR CONSTRUCTION

Abstract: A heat-insulating planar construction is made up of composite beans (1) spaced at certain intervals, between which are panel assemblies (2) composed mainly of fairly rigid insulating material, the edges of which are formed into lap joints (3). The composite beam (1) includes inner and outer supporting beams (4, 5) separated from each other but fixed with tie pins (6). The lap joint parts (3) of the opposing panel assemblies are fitted between the supporting beams (4, 5). Grooves are formed in the opposing lap joint parts (3) between the supporting beams at the point of the tie pins (6) so that each panel assembly may be inserted in the composite beam (1) from the side, partly between the supporting beams (4, 5).

Description: A heat-insulating planar construction This invention concerns a heat-insulating planar construction, made up of composite beams spaced at certain intervals, between which are panel assemblies composed mainly of fairly rigid insulating material, the edges of which are formed into lap joints. The invention is applied generally to wall, floor and ceiling structures. Many family houses and similar buildings erected nowadays are built from timber boards with soft heat-insulating material placed between them. Another common method is the small building unit, in which heat-insulating material is placed in a nearly sealed "box". Building on s.ite with timber boards requires much professional skill. Another drawback is the large number of manhours required, and the difficulty of ensuring measurement accuracy. The timber-framed small building units currently in use have the drawback that, in order to contain the insulating material, the units must be made in a nearly sealed form. They therefore require much raw material, are complex and fairly awkward to handle and, when used for walls, are susceptible to various kinds of damage. Installation of the units is inexact due to their weight, and they are not suitable in lower or upper floors. The Canadian company, Cano Structures Inc., produces and markets a product similar to the planar construction described above. In this product, wooden beams are linked by fiberboard web plates, with cellular polystyrene pieces between the beams, shaped at their edges to fit snugly into position. The beams and the cellular polystyrene pieces together form a completely uniform layer. The cellular polystyrene piece between the beams prevents buckling of the beams, thus increasing the bearing capacity of the structure. The purpose of this invention is to create a planar construction that is economical, has maximum simplicity in structure, and can be used for all structures separating warm and cold spaces. The characteristic features of the invention are presented in the enclosed patent claims. With the help of the invention, it is possible to join insulation panels, which are in principle of the same size, both to each other and to a composite beam, and thus to obtain any desired size of larger building unit. By selecting the materials used for insulation and the composite beams, as well as their dimensions, it is possible to create the desired insulation properties and structural strength. The use of the same kind of panel assemblies in different parts of a building reduces the number of working methods required, thus facilitating the building process and achieving cost savings. In what follows the invention is described with reference to the attached drawings which show certain embodiments of the invention: Figure 1 presents the composite beam construction in perspective. Figure 2 presents a cross-section of the level construction at the place occupied by the composite beam. Figure 1 presents, as an example, part of a wall structure from which it is possible to see the basic structure of a planar construction according to the invention. The composite beams 1 are spaced at certain intervals, and between them are one or more rows of panel assemblies 2. The composite beams are formed from two supporting beams 4 and 5 which are fixed to each other by tie pins 6. A certain gap is then left between beams 4 and 5 into which the lap joint parts of the panel assemblies 2 can be inserted. The lap joint parts 3 are equipped with grooves at the level of the tie pins, so that the panel assemblies 2 can be inserted from the side into the composite beam and the protruding lap joint parts 3 can be inserted between supporting beams 4 and 5. By strengthening the tie pin 6 and placing it diagonally between the supporting beams 4 and 5 the bearing capacity of the composite beam considerably increases, as these supporting beams together form the composite beam. Panel assembly 3 is formed from several overlapping panels attached to each other. Because of their stepped positioning, their edges form the lap joint parts 3 mentioned above. Figure 2 shows the structure and location of the panel assemblies 2 in relation to the composite beam 1 more exactly. The structure in the figure is cut at the point of the tie pin 6, so that the grooves made for the tie pins are visible in the protruding ends of the internal panels 9 and 10 of the panel assembly 2. The panel assemblies 2 can naturally be made in many ways, but even if the panels are made of the same materials, there is good reason to build panel assembly 2 from separate panels 7-10 which are glued together. The making of large assemblies by gluing is especially well-suited to cellular polystyrene pieces, because the production of thin pieces according to known methods is rapid, and it is best to build up big pieces from small pieces. At the same time, this method allows the replacement of any panel with another material. One or more internal panels can be replaced, for example, with rock wool, polyurethane or plywood panels. The surface panel can be made from cellular polystyrene, concrete slab, plywood or wool board. A cellular polystyrene surface panel can be covered with metal plate, thus achieving a new surface structure. In the installation situation shown in figure 2 , on one side the panel assembly 2 has been installed at the composite beam 1, while on the other side another assembly is being inserted into the composite beam to fit into the first assembly. Surface panels 7 and 8 are smaller than the internal panels and they are installed symmetrically in the centre of the assembly. The internal panels 9 and 10, on the other hand, are installed in an overlapping way so that the edges form the above- mentioned lap joints. Panels 9 and 10 are equally large, but when they are installed out of line with the surface panels, the edges can be fitted with the necessary grooves and form overlaps. If a wire nail or similar is used as the tie pin, the attachment of supporting beams 4 and 5 can be carried out finally only after the installation of panel assemblies 2, when the lap joint parts of the assemblies are compressed between supporting beams 4 and 5. In a structure according to figures 1 and 2, the main bearing capacity depends on supporting beam 5, and it is according to this that the structure is measured. By strengthening the tie pin 6, the supporting beam 4 becomes functionally more important in composite beam 1, causing its bearing capacity to increase considerably. In this case the lap joint parts 3 of panel assemblies 2 must have correspondingly stronger grooves for the strengthened tie pins, but this causes no difficulties. With flexible materials the surface panels 7 and 8 may cause a small amount of stress between the composite beams, thus achieving absolute tightness. The attachment of surface structures to the supporting beams 4 and 5 occurs without trouble. If concrete slab is used as the surface panel, the most favorable material for the supporting beams is steel. In the examples according to figures 1 and 2, ventilation space is left on both sides of the structure, while on the inner side there is also space for electrical wiring and piping. A construction according to the invention as described above has many advantages compared with solutions known at the technical level. A construction according to the invention is suitable for all surfaces, including walls, ceilings and floors. Building is easy and quick, and it is achieved with high quality and an exact final result. Although the construction is simple and strong, it is also light and compact. An additional advantage is that the construction can be dismantled and reassembled or used for recycling purposes. If rigid insulation materials are used, its strength properties can be fully exploited in building and thus the minimization of bearing structures is possible. The insulation layer can be easily designed to fit in with the installation of necessary equipment for the building, such as piping. The insulation layer can be increased in terms of thickness, or its insulating properties can be changed without great additional cost. In a construction according to the invention, the bearing structures do not reach the dewpoint level for a structure between cold and warm spaces, for which reason the structure is safe and durable in terms of humidity.

Claims: Claims 1. A heat-insulating planar construction, made up of composite beams (1) spaced at certain intervals, between which are insulating panel assemblies (2) composed mainly of fairly rigid insulating material, the edges of which are formed into lap joint parts (3), and in which the composite beam (1) includes inner and outer supporting beams (4, 5) separated from each other but fixed with tie pins (6), characterized in that, - the lap joint parts (3) of the opposing insulation panel assemblies (2) are to be interlocked between the supporting beams (4, 5), and grooves have been formed in the lap joint parts (3) to be interlocked between the supporting beams at the point of the tie pins (6) so that each insulation panel assembly (2) may be inserted in the composite beam (1) from the side, partly between the supporting beams (4, 5). 2. A level construction according to claim 1, characterized in that the insulating panel assembly (2) is formed from separate panels (7 - 10) joined together, which are assembled so that their edges overlap in order to form lap joint parts. 3. A level construction according to claim 2, characterized in that the outermost and innermost panels of the insulating panel assembly (2) are installed at their inner side at the same level as the inner surface of the supporting beams (4, 5) and that the lap joint parts are formed from the layers remaining between them. 4. A level construction according to claims 2 or 3, characterizes in that the tie pins (6) are formed from trussed iron which may, for example, be wire nails. 5. A level construction according to claim 4, characterized in that the tie pins (6) can be given their final installation through the supporting beams after installation of the insulating panel assemblies (2). 6. A level construction according to any of the claims 2 - 5, characterized in that the material of each panel (9, 10) is selected from the following: cellular polystyrene, rock wool, plywood, polyurethane, concrete. 7. A level construction according to any of the claims 2 - 6, characterized in that concrete slab is used for at least one of the surface panels (7). 8. A level construction according to any of the claims 2 - 6, characterized in that the surface panel (7) is covered with metal plate.

Inventors: LIEVONEN PAAVO, LIEVONEN, PAAVO
Applicants: LIEVONEN PAAVO, LIEVONEN, PAAVO
Application year: 1994
Main classification: E04B1
IPC codes: E04B1